QUETTA: Iran’s firefighting airplane is expected to join the efforts to extinguish the forest fire which has been raging for days in Balochistan’s Koh-i-Suleman range, Forest Officer Ateeq Karar said on Monday.
According to a spokesperson for the Iranian consulate in Quetta, the plane, Ilyushin 76, is the “biggest firefighter aircraft” in the world and would land at Rawalpindi’s Nur Khan Airbase today. The airplane would remain in Pakistan till the fire has been extinguished, the spokesperson added.
The fire has been raging-on since May 18 in Balochistan’s Sherani district and has since engulfed hundreds of trees dotting the mountain range, home to the world’s largest pine nuts (chilghoza) forest.
According to Attique-ur Rehman Kakar – a forest officer of the Balochistan Government – the forest initially caught fire in the Mughal Kot area on May 9. However, the flames entered Balochistan on May 13. It later further erupted in various spots of the Koh-e-Suleman Range, he added.
It has now turned into a raging inferno, forcing several residents of nearby villages to move to safer locations. The army, provincial and federal disaster management authorities and other departments are struggling to douse the flames. Three people have lost their lives so far while three others have been badly injured.
Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo said that the provincial government had stepped up efforts to douse the fire. “All resources are being utilised and the federal government is also fully cooperating on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s instructions,” he added.
The chief minister lamented the “large-scale damage” and said he was grieved at the loss of livelihood associated with the Shirani forest. The government would not abandon its people at a difficult time, he assured.
Bizenjo earlier announced Rs1 million each for the families of three people who lost their lives and Rs500,000 for each injured. He said the federal government would also announce compensation for the fire victims.
